Wrench.



E. GREEN.-

WRENGH.

' APPLICATION FILED APB. 28, 1910. I

Patented Feb.21,1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

J Eugene Green.

E. GREEN.

WRENCH. APPLIOATION FILED APR. 28, 1910.

985,028. Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Z Eugene Q Teen tlNlT EUGENE GREEN, OF SAN MARCOS, TEXAS.

WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911.

Application filed April 28, 1910. Serial No. 558,140.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE GREEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Marcos, in the county of Hays and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wrenches, and more particularly to those that may be transformed from a pipe to a nut wrench.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, practical and effective locking device for a wrench of the character above described, whereby the movable jaw is acculately and instantaneously adjusted and locked in a rigid position in respect to the stationary jaw of the wrench, thereby adapting the latter to pipes and nuts of various sizes and shapes.

Another object of the invention is to 10- cats the operative portion of the lock in such a position upon the movable jaw that the same will not interfere with the work to be operated upon and will always be in convenient position to be readily operated when it is desired to adjust the aws in their proper position in respect to one another.

A. further object of the invention is to provide detachable means for transforming the gripping surfaces of the jaws of the wrench, whereby the latter may be applied to pipes and nuts with like facility and effectiveness.

Briefly stated the invention consists of a suitable shank, the upper end of which is provided with the usual fixed aw, the lower gripping surface of said jaw being provided with ratchet teeth, ratchet teeth formed on the inner edge of said shank, a movable jaw slidingly arranged upon said shank and having ratchet teeth formed upon the gripping portion thereof, a locking device located within a suitable cavity formed within the movable jaw and adapted for engagement with the ratchet teeth formed upon the edge of the shank, means for operating said locking device, and plates provided with ratchet teeth which correspond with the ratchet teeth formed on the engaging gripping surfaces of the aws of the wrench for the purposes previously described.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and it will be understood that changes in the specific structure shown and described may be made within the scope of the claim without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete invention, showing the stationary jaw and handle in elevation. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the wrench with a removable jaw partially in a section, Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the movable jaw taken on the line ww of Fig 1, Fig.

4 is a plan View of the operating lever andeccentric attached thereto forming a portion of the locking device, Fig. 5 is an edge view of the detachable plates employed for providing a nut wrench, Fig. 6 is a combined side elevation and sectional view showing a fragmentary part of the wrench and illustrating a modification of the invention. 7 is the upper end of the nut wrench showing the serrated plates in a reverse position.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents a shank which is preferably rectangular in cross section, to the lower end of which is attached the usual handle 2, the upper end of said shank terminating in the head 3, which forms the fixed jaw for the wrench, the lower gripping edge of the jaw being provided with ratchet teeth 4. The inner edge 5 of the shank 1 of the wrench is provided with ratchet teeth 6, which extend a suitable distance along the length of the shank, which teeth are adapted to cooperate with the looking device carried by the movable jaw in a manner hereinafter to be described.

The movable jaw 7 is slidingly located upon the shank 1 by means of the loop portions 8 forming an integral part of said jaw and through which the said shank freely passes, the upper gripping surface of said movable jaw being provided with ratchet teeth 9 which are formed in the opposite direction to the ratchet teeth 4: of the fixed jaw 3, whereby pipes or other objects of irregular contour may be properly gripped for turning or manipulating the same.

Formed in the movable jaw 7 immediately opposite the ratchet teeth 6 on the edge of the shank 1 is a cavity 10, and movably fixed within said cavity is a cam lever 11, the lower convex engaging surface of which is provided with ratchet teeth 12, which are adapted to cooperate with the ratchet teeth 6 formed onsaid shank, the upper or long arm 13 of said cam lever projecting a suitable distance within said cavity and out of contact with the ratchet toothed edge of the shank. Secured to the movable jaw 7, ad-

Fig.

j acent to theedge of theshank 1 above i the cavity 10 formed therein is one endof a.

leaf spring 14;, the opposite or free end of said, spring projecting downwardly and ex- 5 tendingv within the cavity and against the long arm 18 of. the cam lever 11, whereby the lower engaging end of'the latter is'held in I ,its normal position or in contact with the teeth 6 formed on the shank 1, in which position of the cam lever the movable jaw may be freely moved or adjusted'toward the stationary jaw, but is'prevented frombeing moved in the opposite directionupon the a shank of the wrench. Alsolocated within the cavity 10' of the movable jaw 7 and im mediately in the rear of the long arm 13 of the cam lever 11, and in-contact with the same isan eccentric 15, which is provided witha sleeve 16 projecting at right angles there- 20 from. The sleeve 16 freely passes through one wall ofthe movable jaw adjacent the cavity 10 formed therein and screwed into,

if the said sleeve and. through the eccentric form ng apart thereof is a, screw 17 the 5head 21 of which comes in direct contact with the outer edge of said sleeve and projects beyond that side of the movable'j aw 7, whereby the eccentric 15 is rigidly secured to the screw, buti'rotatable within the cavity .The hand operated lever 19-isl0cated toone'side of the movable jaw and is providedh with an opening 18 which snugly 1-1' receivesthe hea'dl21 of the screw 17 a pin 2 20 being passed through said head and lever V forIri'gidly connecting the parts, whereby the eccentric or enlarged edge thereof; will be broughtinto connection with the upper end of the cam lever 11 when the lever 19 is elevated for releasing the lower engaging 40 endof the cam lever from itslocked positionj erationthel eccentric 15 W be brought int-O T engagement with the upper end of the cam lever 11, thus moving the lower toothed end 5 0 of said lever out of contact'with the teeth 6 formed upon the shank and permitting a V the movable jaw" to be freely released to be moved in a downward direction or from the stationary jaw 3 of the wrench. After the jaws have'been properly separated the hand operated lever; 19 may be released and the movable aw adjusted toward the stationary aw without further manipulation of the lockingdevice, the teeth 12 formed on the lower end of the cam lever ridingover' the ratchet teeth 6 formed on the shank. V

' There are many instances when it is deii sired to apply a wrench of this character to nuts or. other rectangular objects without in any way defacingor injuring the same, and

"cam lever 11 below its-pivotal connection.

the detachable plates.

for this purpose detachable plates are employed in connection with the gripping surfaces of the jaws of the Wrench. Referring particularly to Fig. ,5 of the drawings, two

plates 22 are employed, which are similarly constructed, the width and length of which correspond to the width and length of the gripping surfaces of the stationary and movable jaws of the wrench, and formed on i one side'of said plates'are ratchet teeth 23,. which correspond in size and shape to the shape of the teeth formed on said jaws, the opposite sides of said plates being smooth and flat for engagement with the nut or obj'ect to be operated upon. Secured to the opposite edges of the plates adjacent to the ends thereof are flat springs 24, the free ends of which project a suitable distance from the toothed surfaces ofthe plates and are adapted 'to yieldingly contact with the opposite flat sidesof the jaws of the wrench adjacent to the toothed gripping edges thereof, whereby said plates are held in their proper position in respect to said jaws and further are prevented from moving in a longitudinal direction in respect to the jaws when the same are applied to a nut or other object,

said movement of the plates being prevented by the engagement of the ratchet teeth formed on the plates and the gripping surfaces of the jaws of the wrench.

From the foregoing description it will be seen thatthe plates22-may be readily removed from their interlocked position in respect to the jaws when it is desired to use the tool as apipe wrench, the locking device of the wrench being effective and applicable in both instances. 1 In Fig. 6 I have'shown the application of the invention in which the movable jaw is provided with a cam lever 11 having a lower cam engaging end which is similar to the construction previously referred to. In this construction the cam 15 projects in a downwardly direction and is normally in contact with the upper endof'the long arm 13 of the lever 11' and the spring 14 1s fixed to the lower portion of the movable jaw 7 and projects, inwardly to come in contact with the In Fig. 7, I have shown-the wrench with smoothengagingjaws to be applied to nuts, in which instance the serrated detachable plates are attached thereto for the application-ofthe wrench to pipes. In this arrangement' the yielding arms 24will be arranged in a reversed position'to those shown in Fig. .5 and located within suitable recesses formed for their reception in the opposite sides of the jaws of thewrench. This'construct-ion and arrangement is very desirable for the reason that it is sometimes necessaryto work on nuts in very close places and consequently the work would not 'be interfered with by In the construction last referred to it will be seen that when the wrench is transformed into a pipe wrench the smooth surfaces of the plates 22 will be in contact with the engaging flat surfaces of the jaws of the wrench, with the serrated portions of the plates facing one another and adapted for ready application to a pipe.

What is claimed is:

In a wrench the combination with a stationary jaw and shank, of a movable jaw slidable upon said shank, ratchet teeth formed upon the latter, a cam lever having ratchet teeth formed on the lower convex end of the same and adapted for engagement with the ratchet teeth formed upon the shank, an eccentric located within the cavity adjacent to the upper end of said cam lever and normally in contact therewith, a sleeve forming a part of said eccentric and passing freely through an opening formed through one side of the jaw, a screw through the said sleeve and eccentric and passing through a suitable opening formed in the opposite side of the jaw, the head of said screw projecting a suitable distance beyond one side of the wall of the jaw through which it passes and in binding contact with said sleeve of the eccentric, a hand operating lever fixed to the head of the screw for causing the eccentric to be brought into frictional contact with the upper end of the cam lever, and a spring secured to the jaw and having its lower free end located within the cavity of said jaw and in contact with the upper end of the cam lever opposite the eccentric, whereby when the hand operating lever is elevated, the lower engaging end of the cam lever will be moved out of engagement with the ratchet teeth formed on the shank of the wrench.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

EUGENE GREEN.

Witnesses:

E1). J. L. GREEN, JOHN E. PRITCHETT. 

